I was fragile in every sense: physically in pain, mentally drained, and emotionally disconnected from myself and my family. I felt trapped in my body and was at an all-time low, experiencing negative self-talk and even suicidal thoughts.<\/p>\n
In 2021, I randomly came across a 12-week transformation challenge run by the online fitness platform FITTR<\/a>. The goal was to achieve noticeable body recomposition\u2014whether that was fat loss<\/a>, muscle gain<\/a>, or both\u2014and submit before and after progress photos each week. I was so inspired by the incredible stories of past participants, I realised that if they could do it, so could I. <\/p>\n The challenge didn\u2019t include a structured program, but it strongly encouraged sustainable weight training and balanced nutrition, so I signed up, hired a coach, and committed to working hard. There were 44,000 participants worldwide and my goal was to be in the top 250. <\/p>\n I had never lifted weights, but with the help of my coach, I began strength training<\/a> five to six days a week. At first, I had to modify exercises to tailor to my different injuries, but after six weeks of building strength and mobility,<\/a> much of my chronic pain subsided and I felt stronger, happier, and more energetic. I was officially hooked. <\/p>\n I also evaluated my nutrition and ended up overhauling my diet. I always thought I ate relatively healthily since I rarely consumed ultra-processed food<\/a>, but then I realised I ate mostly carbs<\/a> and little protein<\/a>. So, thanks to my coach, I learned to count and balance macros at every meal and prioritise protein for muscle growth and satiety. There\u2019s a lot of noise around diet culture, but I kept things simple by focusing on fresh, whole, unprocessed foods. <\/p>\n Throughout the 12-week challenge, I was so focused on and excited about my goals and progress, I didn\u2019t have time to dwell on negative self-talk. It paid off: I placed in the top 50 of participants. I gained a new sense of confidence and was so empowered that I could push myself to new limits. <\/p>\n Now, my workouts are a combination of strength training and calisthenics to build coordination and stability<\/strong><\/p>\n At 44, I lift heavy weights three days a week, and recently added two days of calisthenic workouts to improve my coordination, flexibility, and body awareness. I do a push\/pull\/legs workout split<\/a> for heavy lifting days, and my calisthenics training includes bodyweight<\/a> exercises like pull-ups<\/a>, push-ups, pistol squats, and handstands<\/a>. My workouts are usually an hour and a half long: I typically do five to six moves per session, with three to four sets of 12 to 14 reps, depending on the exercise and weight. <\/p>\n Upper body<\/a> is my favourite muscle group to train, and I love my pull day workouts. At the start of my strength journey, one pull-up felt impossible, but now, I can do seven. As part of my calisthenics training, I\u2019m currently working on mastering a muscle-up, but my ultimate upper body goal is to hold a handstand.<\/p>\n On top of resistance training, I aim for 10,000 steps a day and prioritise mobility and flexibility. Given my history of sciatica, I also stretch before and after every workout and regularly practice yoga as a form of active recovery on my off days. <\/p>\n When it comes to my diet, I aim to eat at least 100 grams of protein per day, so my fridge is always stocked with marinated fish and chicken (I don\u2019t eat red meat). I also incorporate a variety of fresh, anti-inflammatory<\/a> foods such as colourful fruits and dark leafy vegetables<\/a>. When my meals are nourishing, I have more energy and feel better physically and mentally. <\/p>\n Initially, I closely counted macros to ensure I was hitting my nutritional goals, but now I eat intuitively since I understand generally how many macros there are in my meals. I also meal prep every week to eliminate guesswork during mealtime and properly fuel my gains in the gym. <\/p>\n I was successful in my strength transformation because of these 3 factors<\/strong>1. I leaned on exercise as a source of peace<\/strong><\/p>\n I used to carry a lot of shame around my mental health<\/a> struggles, but instead of silently suffering, I now lean on exercise to help keep my anxiety and depression at bay. For me, the gym<\/a> isn\u2019t just a place to train \u2013 it\u2019s a space to breathe and recenter because every rep helps silence the noise in my head. I\u2019ve accepted that anxiety will always be a part of my life, and that\u2019s okay, but I no longer let it control me. Whether it\u2019s going for a walk, practicing a new calisthenics skill, or crushing an intense workout, I\u2019ve learned that movement is the best medicine for mental clarity. <\/p>\n 2. I let go of self-doubt and learned to embrace confidence<\/strong><\/p>\n After years of dissociating from my body because of my health issues, the start of my journey was full of self-doubt. But once I realised that I\u2019m the only one who can make judgments on how I feel, I unlocked a new sense of confidence. Instead of operating on a fear factor and worrying about judgement for what I can\u2019t do, I learned to embrace what I can. Believing in myself and my capabilities has truly fueled my transformation. <\/p>\n 3. I viewed fitness and balanced nutrition as a long-term lifestyle<\/strong><\/p>\n My commitment to weight training and nutrition has allowed me to rebuild what years of neglect, stress, and injury took away\u2014it gave me a deep sense of ownership over my body while protecting my bones and supporting my hormonal health. This journey taught me that I\u2019m worthy of self-love, and watching my body transformation allowed my mind to transform with it. <\/p>\n![\"call](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/wh-fitness-fat-loss-banner-6880b7f16f1af.png\" "\\"fit")
<\/a>It wasn\u2019t until a month before my 40th birthday that everything changed<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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